These stories were written by NMU Sports Information

SATURDAY GAME RECAP
 

MIDLAND, Mich. -- The Northern Michigan University women's basketball team defeated Northwood University, 55-53, Saturday afternoon for the weekend split.

After allowing NU the first five points of the contest, Makaylee Kuhn got the Wildcats on the board with just over two minutes elapsed Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats took the lead with a made layup from Andrea Perez to put her team up 6-5 midway through the first quarter.

The Timberwolves reclaimed the lead just briefly before a 6-0 run from the Wildcats put them up 11-7 with 4:41 to play in the opening frame. NMU would make one more laup in the quarter, courtesy of Vivianne Jende as the Wildcats ended the first quarter of play trailing 14-13. 

The second quarter reflected that of the first, as the Wildcats continued to trail by just one point at the end of 20 minutes. Prior to that, the Timberwolves went up six points for their largest lead of the day to that point, up 19-13, before Kuhn helped spark the Wildcat offensive efforts again as she hit a deep three to cut the Timberwolves' lead in half, 19-16.

The Wildcats would eventually tie things up with 4:22 to play in the opening half when Kayla Tierney sank a three-point shot with an assist to Samantha Potter. After NU reclaimed the lead following a pair of made free throws, Jende knotted things up again at 24-24. 

Again, a pair of free throws gave NU the lead back late in the first half before Kuhn's jump shot tied things up at 26-all. NU would answer with a layup of their own before Jende was fouled, shooting, hitting her first free throw for the 28-27 halftime score.

Kuhn opened up the second half with a layup set up by Perez to go up 29-28 before NU went on a small 5-0 run to take the lead back.

Elizabeth Lutz cut the Timberwolves' lead to one-point when she sank a three-pointer. Kuhn helped the Wildcats get the ball back as she blocked an NU attempt at the other end of the court before Potter made a shot for the 34-33 Wildcat lead. 

The Wildcats extended their lead part way through the third, going up seven-points with 5:08 to play in the third quarter as they led the Timberwolves, 41-34. NU would get one back before Jende's free throw attempt gave her team that day-best lead again, up 42-35.

With two seconds to play in the third quarter, a Timberwolves player hit a three-point shot as the Wildcats carried a 42-38 lead into the final quarter of play.

NU continued their scoring run in the final quarter, eventually tying things up with 8:49 remaining, 42-42, before taking the lead with a made layup just under a minute later.

Jende tied things back up, stifling the Timberwolves' 8-0 scoring run with a made jump shot, making it a 44-44 game. She then got the lead back for NMU with 5:54 to play as she was set up by Kuhn for the layup for the 46-45 tally.

Taya Stevenson extended the Wildcats' lead with a three-point shot with just over four minutes to play, giving her team the 49-45 advantage.

The Wildcat women concluded the afternoon contest with a pair of free throws from Jende for the 55-53 final.

The team shot 46.7 percent from beyond the three while holding their opponent to just 26.3 percent from the same distance and just 30.6 percent from the field. 

Kuhn led the team in points Saturday, netting 17 off eight shots from the field while Jende posted a career-best 16 points for second among Wildcat players.

Potter, who had five points on the afternoon, also registered two assists while leading the team in rebounds with 12.

FRIDAY GAME RECAP

MIDLAND, Mich. -- The Northern Michigan University women's basketball team fell to Northwood University Friday night, 69-60, in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference contest.

The two teams held pretty even through the first quarter, with the Wildcats boasting their largest lead of the first 10 minutes at 4:11 when Taya Stevenson hit a three-point shot for the 9-4 lead. The Timberwolves answered back and the teams battled it out, with NMU carrying the narrow 15-13 lead into the second quarter.

The Wildcats scored six points to open the second half with Elena Alaix hitting a shot from beyond the arc before sinking her second-consecutive three-point shot for the 21-15 lead just over a minute into the second quarter for their largest lead of the half.

NU cut the lead down to a single possession but Madigan Johns quickly halted their efforts as she hit a jump shot for three with 5:53 to play to make it 24-19.

The Timberwolves took the lead, 25-24, with 4:11 to play in the half just before Alaix sunk another three-point shot to take the lead back.

The two teams would go back and forth with three ensuing tie-scores before a last second three-point shot gave the Timberwolves the lead heading into the second half. After 20 minutes of play, NMU trailed NU, 34-31.

NMU tied things up with a three-pointer from Alaix to start the second half, before going up 39-35 when Andrea Perez hit a three-pointer with an assist to Makaylee Kuhn.

The Timberwolves went on a small run, extending their lead to 47-43 before Johns made a shot in order to pull her Wildcats within two points with 2:32 to play in the third quarter.

The Wildcat women continued to pressure, throughout the third quarter, with Kuhn hitting two shots from the line to make it a 49-47 NU lead as the two squads went into the fourth quarter.

Alaix knotted things up at 49-49 to start the final quarter before Johns gave the Wildcats the lead again, 51-49. The Timberwolves tied things up at 51-all but 20 seconds later the Wildcats would get the lead back with a made layup from Perez.

NU scored again to match the Wildcats' 53 point total, refusing to give up the lead again. The Wildcats managed to come back and tie things up at 60-60, before the Timberwolves scored the final nine points of the game for the 69-60 final.

Alaix, who hit four shots from beyond the three-point arc, led the team with 20 points Friday night while Kuhn was second, tallying 12. The two also combined for 13 of the team's 28 rebounds on the evening, with Alaix's seven leading the team.

The two teams return to action Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. tip set for the regular season finale. Tune in on FM-100.3 in Marquette and FM-93.5/AM-600 in Escanaba, and on-line anywhere at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.